Tips For Driving With Kids

Driving can be extremely stressful at the best of times. Not only do you have to try and navigate your way in a large machine, but you also have to consider all of the other road users who you might pass by. You need to be very attentive to make sure that you don’t end up getting into an accident with someone else and their vehicle!

As you can tell then, there are plenty of things you need to keep focused on. So, if you throw kids into the mix, you might find that it’s very difficult to pay enough attention to what is going on in your surroundings. Kids can be a big distraction, which could put your safety at risk. That’s not all, though, as you need to take some extra precautions when you are driving with kids. There needs to be some specific features in place to ensure that they are comfortable and safe throughout the journey.

There’s a whole lot that you need to be aware of when you have kids in the car with you. To ensure their safety and to make sure that they don’t create too much of a distraction, you might want to follow these useful tips and tricks.

Purchase With Kids In Mind

First of all, you need to make sure that the car you buy is a safe choice for families. Not all cars are made equally, and there are some that come with a lot more safety features than others. These are, probably quite obviously, regarded as family cars as they won’t put the driver and passenger at risk and should keep everyone as protected as possible during an accident. Plus, they won’t be so able to get up to extremely high speeds, which can also keep your family safe while on a journey. Wondering what you should look for in a family car? It’s a good idea to look for a vehicle that has plenty of space for your whole gang, is affordable, and comes with a good range of safety features. If you aren’t too sure what to look for, you can always ask the sales assistants at your local car dealerships.

Remember Comfort As Well As Safety

Sure, your family car needs to be as safe and secure as possible. It also needs to be comfortable, though, as well. Otherwise, you will find that your kids are quick to complain, especially on very long journeys. Having enough space in the back seat is part of this, so make sure you invest in a family car that is as spacious as possible. Sometimes, the leather on seats can be fairly uncomfortable for young children, so you might want to put a blanket down for them to sit on. Just make sure that you are still able to get to the belt buckle so that you can buckle them in. This also protects the leather from any sticky spillages that your kids might make when they are drinking in the back.

Young Kids In The Back

It’s also important that the kids are always sitting in the correct seats for their age. All children under the age of twelve need to be in the back. If they are under a certain age or height, they also need to be buckled into a car seat for their safety. This is because they will be a lot better protected in the rear seats if you are ever involved in a crash. Generally speaking, only children over the age of thirteen should be seated in the front seat. However any children over the age of ten and who are quite tall for their age can sit in the front – but only on the condition that they are exceptionally well behaved!

Babies And Toddlers In Car Seats

Babies and toddlers are not legally allowed to sit in a car without a car seat. They should not be on anyone’s lap either. Some people think that very young children can sit on an adult passenger’s lap if they don’t have a car seat, but this isn’t the case. In fact, this is against the law and you could be fined for this if found to be doing so. It’s also important that you find the right car seat for them. Baby and toddler car seats come in various sizes and are aimed at children of different ages. So, you need to measure your baby or child and make sure that they are in a seat that is correctly fitted for them. This means that you might have to replace the seat as your child grows and gets bigger.

Always Buckle Up

You will have to visit an attorney, such as Keith L. Magness, if you ever need help getting out of a sticky legal situation. Perhaps you are being sued for causing a car accident, or you were found traveling with a small child who wasn’t in the correct car seat. There’s also another reason you might end up on the wrong side of the law – not buckling in your kids. You need to buckle your kids in with the seatbelts for every journey, even if you are just driving ten minutes down the road. This is a legal requirement that is in place to make sure that they are safe in the car and won’t suffer too much in a road traffic accident. When you do buckle in your kids, make sure that the belt isn’t too tight on them and that it isn’t scratching the skin on their neck. You can always loosen it off slightly if this is the case.

Drive Defensively

It’s important to always drive defensively when you have kids in the back of your car. Well, in actual fact, it’s always a good idea to drive defensively even when you don’t have the kids with you! This is because it makes it easier for other road users to see you out on the road. It’s easy to drive this way, you just need to make sure that you are being extra careful. The first thing you should remember is to always have your lights on whenever necessary. You should turn them on an hour before sunset and leave them on for an hour after sunrise, if you are ever out at these times. Be sure to also give other vehicles and road users plenty of space as you pass them as this will minimize the chance of bumping into them.

Provide Entertainment

If your kids start to get bored in the back of the car, you will find that they are a lot more likely to become a big distraction. This could start arguing with each other, and they might even start to throw tantrums. All of that noise will take your attention away from the road, especially if they get very restless and start kicking the back of your seat. So, make sure that there is something to keep your kids entertained with while on journeys. Some books should do the trick. If you have a spare iPad or other tablet device, you might want to download a few movies or children’s TV programs that they can watch.

Never Leave Kids In Cars

It’s really important that you never leave kids on their own in the car. Even if you just stop off during your journey to pop into a shop, you should always take them with you. You might think that leaving them for only five minutes won’t do too much harm, but you could be very much mistaken. If it is a particularly hot day, they could get too warm, which in extreme cases could lead to dehydration. That will leave them very grumpy for the rest of your journey! But the main reason why you shouldn’t leave your kids unaccompanied in the car is because you never know what they might get up to. They could end up reaching over to the dashboard and playing with some knobs and buttons. That could be very dangerous if they turn something on!

Travel With Drinks And Snacks

You should always try and keep any complaining from your kids down to a minimum while you are driving the car. One of the most-complained things from young children is often that they are hungry or thirsty. So, try and ensure that you have plenty of snacks and drinks for your whole journey to keep you going.

Take Regular Breaks

You’ll find that the little ones get extremely restless in the back during long journeys too. The best way to prevent this is to take plenty of breaks so that they have a chance to stretch their legs and get some fresh air. Breaking the journey up this way should help make it feel like it’s going a lot faster for them too.